Selected to launch CubeSats from the Kibo module (pictured) on the International Space Station, the University of Nairobi team plans to test technologies it developed for the future launch of a larger Earth-observation satellite. (Credit: NASA/JAXA)

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) selected a team from the University of Nairobi to be the first to benefit from the UNOOSA-JAXA KiboCUBE program.

KiboCUBE was launched in September 2015 as a capacity-building initiative between UNOOSA and JAXA to offer educational and research institutions from developing countries the opportunity to deploy CubeSats from the Kibo module of the International Space Station. The Nairobi team hopes to apply data acquired from its CubeSat deployment to monitor agriculture and coastal areas.

“This is a very exciting moment and an important step in UNOOSA’s movement towards tangible initiatives in our capacity-building efforts,” said UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo. “Innovative projects like KiboCUBE can achieve concrete results and have a real impact on space science and technology development for the benefit of all.”